| Unit name | Conflict, Security and Development |
|---|---|
| Unit code | POLIM1007 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Edmunds |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
This unit provides an introduction and overview to key theoretical, historical and policy issues linking conflict, security and development. It begins by examining the nature of contemporary violent conflict, its relationship with questions of development and security and how different academic and policy communities have traditionally treated these issues. It goes on to critically analyse the drivers that link these themes and various international responses to them. The unit introduces conceptual frameworks for understanding the relationship between conflict, security and development across five specific themes: (1) sources and consequences of contemporary violent conflict and particularly intra-state conflict; (2) conflict prevention measures and disincentives for violence; (3) international intervention including peacekeeping, political and economic assistance and international aid; (4) post-conflict demilitarisation and reconstruction; (5) governance regimes, security and development, examining the role of international organisations, state and sub state actors in promoting and retarding development and security. This unit is only available to students registered for MSc/Diploma degrees in the Department of Politics. Please note that the Department does not permit the auditing of any of its units.
Aims:
This unit aims to provide students with a theoretical and empirical understanding of development and security issues and debates in the context of contemporary conflict. The principal aim of the unit is to equip students to explore the connections between these two fields, particularly their relationship with contemporary violent conflict. The unit will therefore develop the student’s interest in and knowledge and understanding of, the role of development and security actors in violent conflict at the international, national and sub-national levels; approaches to understanding contemporary violent conflict, particularly its prevention, termination and resolution; and theories of international relations in which development and security debates are located.
At the end of this unit students will:
The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities
Formative assessment: an oral presentation supported by a handout Summative assessment: a 4,000 word essay
A full statement of the relationship between the programme outcomes and types/methods of assessment is contained in accompanying Programme Specifications and section B7 of the Major Change to Current Programme forms for the programmes of which this unit is a part. The assessment for each unit is designed to fit within and contribute to that approach in terms of intellectual development across each of the two teaching blocks, and in relation to knowledge and understanding, intellectual skills and attributes, and transferable skills.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLIM1007).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
